1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a crust used as a base of a pizza pie, a device for production of the crust, and a method of producing same, and in particular, to a method of producing a crust able to be distributed in a dried state, which is not deformed, has a smooth feeling when eaten, and has a good flavor and taste.
2. Description of the Related Art
Pizza pie is a food developed in Italy, and in general, is a kind of pie prepared by adding yeast to wheat flour, kneading and maturing the mixture, spreading the mixture under pressure on a pie dish, placing thereon a topping such as sauce, cheese, etc., and baking the whole. Historically, pizza was developed from a home dish, and is now often supplied by service shops.
The pizza crust is called the pie shell, and in a household and service shop, is prepared by a method comprising the steps of blending raw materials essentially consisting of wheat flour, kneading and maturing the dough, spreading the dough under pressure, and forming and baking the dough in a pie dish.
More particularly, pizza is produced by:
(1) A method in which an uncooked dough is prepared by hand as described in the foregoing, and the dough is cooked; PA1 (2) A method in which the above-described uncooked dough is formed into a crust, and the crust is stored at a cool temperature or by freezing, to be later cooked; or PA1 (3) Recently, a circular, square, etc., bread-like, biscuit-like, or cracker-like pizza crust, which has been baked, or heat-treated so as to be easily cookable, is supplied and cooked. In addition, as described in Japanese Patent Application No. 63-318150, there is also known a bread-like pizza crust. PA1 fitting uncooked dough into a base template, placing a first cover template thereover, pressing the first cover template and removing the first cover template to thereby form a base layer; and PA1 supplying uncooked dough onto the formed base layer, placing a second cover template thereover, pressing the second cover template and then removing the second cover template to thereby prepare a top layer. PA1 a base template defining a shape of a lower surface of a base layer of the pizza crust; PA1 a first cover template defining a shape of an upper surface of the base layer of the pizza crust; and PA1 a second cover template defining the shape of the upper surface of the top layer of the pizza crust, wherein at least one of the first cover template and second cover template has a plurality of needle-like projections having a length corresponding to the thickness of the base layer or surface layer respectively, which needles make holes in the layer.
The pizza crust produced from uncooked dough has remarkable features in that the action of yeast blended with the raw material, enables a pizza pie to be prepared in which the crust and topping are well blended and integrated, having a soft and full state, and a good flavor and good taste. This conventional method however, has a defect in that each stage of the process requires much labor and time, although this depends upon the degree of skill of the cook, that a baking apparatus consuming a large amount of energy, such as gas oven, is required for the final baking, and that the pizza pie does not last long due to the use of an uncooked dough. The afore-mentioned crust prepared in such a way that an uncooked dough is formed into a crust, and the thus obtained crust is stored at a cool temperature or by freezing, can eliminate the defect that the untreated uncooked crust does not last long, but the other afore-mentioned defects remain, and further, a defect exists in that when stored at a cool temperature or by freezing, it is easily broken.
The circular or square shaped backed or heat-treated bread-like pizza crust has a merit in that it can be easily cooked with an apparatus not consuming a large amount of energy, such as oven toaster, etc., and that it will keep. Such a pizza crust, however, has a defect in that, as it is a pizza crust subjected to baking or heat-treatment, there is no yeast action during the cooking thereof, unlike a pizza crust prepared from uncooked dough, and it has a poor flavor and taste, and further, has an important defect in that the pizza crust and the topping to be placed thereon are separated from each other and do not blend well with each other. In addition, such a pizza crust also has a defect in that the topping overflows the crust, because the crust does not possess a flanged portion on the outer circumference thereof, that cooking for a long time is therefore impossible, and it is difficult to brown off the pizza pie. Further, it should be stored in a refrigerator so that it keeps well, because it is a bread-like or biscuit-like product. As described in Japanese Patent Application No. 63-318150, the baked or heat-treated bread-like pizza crust with a flange formed on the outer circumference overcomes the foregoing defect that the topping overflows at the time of cooking, but the other defects have not been overcome.